Sealing means



W. M. BROOKS. S-EALING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14. 1920.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

UNITED WINFREI) MUDGE BROOKS, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

SEALING- MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Application filed July 14, 1920. Serial No. 396,166.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

e it known that I, WINIRED M. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lVest Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sealing Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to sealing means, and has for its object the obtaining of a sealing device, especially applicable to metallic strapping, that is simple and inexpensive and that will reliably leave tell-tale marks when tampered with.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a container such as a wooden boX with strapping and the sealing devices of the invention in position:

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a sealing device embodying the invention.

1 indicates a container such as a wooden box encircled by metallic strapping 2, the ends of which are in overlapped relation, as shown in Fig. 1. fit suitable intervals, a sealing device, indicated generally by 3, is associated with the strapping. This sealing device consists of a body portion 4 of sheet metal, the body portion having prefer ably two openings 5 and 6 and struck-up shoulders 7. 8 is a head, preferably dish or dome-shaped, connected with the body portion by means of a neck 9 having a weakened zone 10. Said head also carries a piercing lug 11 extending at an angle to the plane of the head and body portion. In practice, the body portion is placed between the strap and the container, the side edge of the strap registering against shoulders 7. A nail 12, or the like, is then driven through the strapping and opening 5 into a wall of the con tainer'. The head is doubled over the body portion, thereby concealing the nail and the piercing lug enters opening 6 and is embedded in container 1. The piercing lug is tapered, as shown, and opening 6 is preferably slightly narrower than the wide portion of the piercing lug so that it becomes partly embedded in the metal. Should an attempt now be made to open the sealing de' vice by unbending the parts, the metal of the weakened neck portion will be fractured and will thus indicate that the sealing means have been tampered with.

I claim:

1. A sealing device comprising: a sheet metal blank consisting of a body portion, a head connected to said body portion by a weakened neck, said head being doubled over the body portion by bending the neck, and a piercing lug extending at an angle from the free end of the head toward the plane of the body portion when the parts are bent up.

2. A sealing device comprising: a sheet metal blank consisting of a body portion having an opening near one end thereof, a head connected to the body portion at its other end'by a weakened neck, said head being doubled over the body portion by bending the neck, and a piercing lug extending at an angle from the free end of the head and through the opening in the body portion.

8. Sealing means comprising: a container, a sheet metal strap, a sheet metal blank consisting of a body portion placed between the strap and the container and a head connected with said body portion by a weakened neck, said head being doubled over the strap and body portion by bending the neck, a piercing lug extending at an angle from the free end of the head toward the plane of the body portion and into the container when the parts are bent up, and a nail or the like, extending through the strap and body portion into the container and concealed beneath. the head.

Signed at New York city, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, this 8th day of July, 1920.

WVINFRED MUDGE BROOKS 

